$4 million QB involved in 'great mystery' ahead of 2026 NFL draft

A former quarterback of a major college football program is part of a mystery in the 2026 NFL draft.

American Team quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) of LSU gives a thumbs up during American Senior Bowl practice | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

The 2026 NFL draft will be held adjacent to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between April 23 and April 25.

A common discourse surrounding every NFL draft involves the quarterbacks who will be selected in the draft and where they will wind up. There are a handful of franchises in need of quarterbacks in 2026, but the strength of the class has them reevaluating whether or not they should take one.

Former Indiana starter and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza has been the most common projection for the first pick of the 2026 NFL draft, going to the Las Vegas Raiders. For a while, Oregon starter Dante Moore was projected to go behind Mendoza at No. 2, but Moore's decision to stay in college has shaken up the projections.

Ty Simpson is now largely considered the second-best quarterback in projections, but the possibilities for the third quarterback off the board are wide open.

The race to become the third quarterback off the board is something Field Yates of ESPN referred to as a "great mystery" heading into the 2026 NFL draft. A name he suggested could contend for the spot is former LSU starter Garrett Nussmeier.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (18) passes the ball, defended by Alabama defensive lineman Jordan Renaud (11) | David Leong-Imagn Images

"Probably the headlining quarterback in this group is Garrett Nussmeier from LSU -- who, of course, had an uneven finish to his college career," Yates said on ESPN's NFL Live. "A lot of hope and expectation. 'Could this be a first-round quarterback?' Instead, as you know well, he was benched late in the season at LSU."

The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder was recruited to LSU in Ed Orgeron's 2021 signing class. He is the son of former NFL quarterback and longtime quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier.

Nussmeier started his career as a backup to Max Johnson, who is now playing at Georgia Southern for his seventh year of college football. He appeared in four games, completing 29 of 57 pass attempts for 329 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Tigers acquired former Arizona State starter and future Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels out of the transfer portal in 2022, who Nussmeier sat behind for two more seasons. He appeared in 13 games between 2022 and 2023, throwing for 1,391 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions.

LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) drops back to pass against the Georgia Bulldogs | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

2024 was Nussmeier's lone full season as LSU's starting quarterback. He threw for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while guiding the Tigers to a 9-4 overall record with a Texas Bowl win against Baylor.

As Yates mentioned, Nussmeier was benched for the back end of the 2025 season, one in which he was making efforts to play through nagging injuries behind a struggling offensive line. He tallied 1,927 yards, 12 touchdown passes and five interceptions in nine games in his last year at LSU.

Nussmeier is one of three quarterbacks on the American Team at the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl. The others are former Arkansas starter Taylen Green and former Illinois starter Luke Altmyer.

American Team quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) of LSU runs a play during American Senior Bowl practice | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images